they fall for us
by sakicchi
Summary: "The stars… They're falling." /Training Days. EreMin.


Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin.

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they fall for us.

Eren tossed in a tangle of sheets and sweat as another round of nightmares claimed his dreams for another night. Though they were growing few and far between, the ones that came through were as gruesome as the day they had happened. They left him quaking, green eyes wide and breaths heavy. Tonight was one of those nights.

Something felt off. He cursed under his breath and rolled onto his side, expecting to see his cot-companion's still form he was often envious of, yet he was met with an empty bed. His heart panicked and his fingers tightly pinched the inside of his arm, hoping that his friend's disappearance was just a night terror, as well.

"Armin?" Eren called out quietly, only to be met with the in and exhales of the other boys and Connie's obnoxious snores. He crossed the gap and clambered down the small ladder, careful of squeaky joints and creaky floorboards. Armin could've just left for the bathroom, what was he so worried about?

Much to his relief, the blond was on the steps out front of their bunker, chin resting in the heels of his hands. He took no notice as Eren closed the door behind him and made his way to his friend's side. Eren breathed a soft sigh through his nose.

"Nice night out."

"Eren?" Armin stammered as he whirled his head upwards to see him. There was an old, leather-bound book resting in his lap – tattered gold leaf rimmed the edges and spine and drew a diagram of multiple circles and ovals in the centre of the cover. "Yeah, I thought some fresh air would clear my mind."

"Nightmares?"

Armin said nothing.

"You, too, huh?" Eren huffed and let himself fall beside Armin, arms propped up on his knees. Armin looked back to his own, down to the book, then up to the sky. Eren watched him carefully, trying to read his face for something – anything – and followed his gaze upwards. Not a single cloud hung on the velvet sheet, only bright stars peppered about, like the light freckles on Armin's cheeks.

"Ever wonder what's up there?"

Eren gave him a sideways glance, "…Stars?" What else would there be?

Armin gave a small chuckle and looked back to the leather volume, "No, more than those. _Much_ more than just those." He gently flipped through the pages, careful of the worn parchment, and came to a picture of the same circles and ovals on the cover.

"We are one planet in a million– a billion! Our Moon circles around our Earth, which circles around our Sun. You know that much, right?" Eren nodded in agreement.

"Well, there are other planets that also circle our Sun," Armin ran his finger along one of the many ovals looping around a large circle captioned _The Sun_. "Altogether they are the called the Solar System. This is in a larger system called the Milky Way Galaxy." He flipped the page to find another picture of a swirl. Eren gaped.

"So you're saying that we're a just speck of dust in this huge swirl of–"

"Stars." Armin breathed, marvelling at the summer sky once more.

"It's a whole other world out there, Eren. This galaxy is only one in… Infinity. It's endless. There's so much out there and we're stuck here by gravity. Could you imagine," The blond boy placed the book beside him, now forgotten, slowly lifted himself from the steps and took a few paces out into the open. "Being able to go up there and explore?"

Eren watched him with a small smile creeping onto his lips, "I don't think maneuver gear will reach that far, Armin."

Armin laughed, a light sound that reached Eren's ears and reminded him of better days; days where they dreamed by the pages of books, wished to see outside of the stone walls of their cage. Armin kicked at a rock and shuffled forward, head tilted upwards.

"…They say stars are far too hot to touch. They start off small then grow so large and so bright; they either explode, or fade– Oh!"

Eren blinked when Armin gasped and ran further out, almost out of range of the small lantern on the porch. He, too, got up and jogged out to his friend.

"Armin?"

Armin said nothing.

Eren didn't either.

Their eyes were on the sky, where streaks of white danced with the still bright stars. Quick and vivid, they almost reminded Eren of the fast drills they did with their gear, flying through the training forests. Of the silver blades they drove through practice flesh. Of fair blond locks blown by summer winds.

"The stars… They're falling."

It was true. As Armin watched the linear streaks in the navy sky plunge into the horizon, Eren watched him; how the stars reflected in the oceans of his eyes, how his lips curved into a grin at the show above, and how his shoulders rose, wanting to be higher, closer to the world beyond.

A world that had no obstacles in getting there; no walls or titans – only the gravity that pulled them down.

Eren wasn't sure when his lips found Armin's.

He wasn't sure if he was even doing it right, but there was no push to drive him away – only Armin's gravity that pulled him forward. Hands found each others' arms and tethered them together as their heads tilted in opposing directions, their lips fitting together in just the right way.

Emerald searched sapphire when they slowly broke for air, breathless and shivering. Eren pressed his forehead to Armin's as he moved to hold their hands close to his chest, resting on his heart. Another act that brought him back to the better days; when their dirtied hands were clasped more often than not.

"Y'know, after we see the ocean, we can always try for the skies."

"Together?"

"I promise."

Armin breathed a laugh that tickled the tip of Eren's reddened nose. He gave a wide grin in return.

"… Tell me more about it. That world up there."

While they looked for the future far beyond the walls, they would also keep their heads high, eyes up. They took solace in the fact that a vast, unexplored, and beautiful world, while not in their reach, was within their sight. It made the nightmares and tragedy a little more bearable, if not just a sliver.

As did the stolen kisses they shared out of others' sights; seen only by the stars.

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Inspired by the Perseids back in mid-August. I really like this one.


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